All Four Militants Killed in Kulgam Encounter on Sunday Were Local Youths: Engineer Rasheed

The scene of encounter in Kulgam, Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday. Image credit: Indian Express.

INDEPENDENT LAWMAKER ASKS INDIA TO STOP BLAMING PAKISTAN FOR VIOLENCE AND LOOK FOR SOLUTION TO KASHMIR

Caravan Daily

SRINAGAR — Independent lawmaker from Jammu and Kashmir and Awami Ittehad Party President Engineer Rasheed has alleged that all four militants killed in Kulgam in an encounter with security forces on Sunday were local Kashmiris and none of them had come from across the Line of Control. He urged New Delhi to restrain from blaming Pakistan for instigating violence and the resistance movement in J&K, according to a statement issued by him.

Reacting to the statement of Dr. Jatinder Singh, Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, on the Kulgam encounter that claimed that Pakistani terrorists were killed in the encounter with security forces, Er. Rasheed on Monday said that before abusing Pakistan, he should have first gathered the necessary information about those killed. In the statement, the Central Minister had accused Pakistan of being the ‘epicenter’ of terrorism and instigating violence in J&K.

Er. Rasheed said: “All the four militants who were killed in Kulgam were locals and as per information available none of them had crossed the LOC. Three of the four deceased militants were active since last one year and Younus Ahmad Lone had joined the ranks just 27 days ago.”

Explaining the reasons of continuing militancy in the state, he said: “It is the ‘state’ terrorism, brutalities of police, continuous denial of New Delhi to resolve Kashmir dispute and the long history of broken promises that persuades and compels young blooming buds to take arms in their hands. Blaming Pakistan has become a fashion of Indian rulers, only to defame the resistance movement and avoid a solution. Finding itself short of arguments and logic, while in the past India has been blaming Pakistan for spreading the plague, now has started even blaming Pakistani pigeons of spying. The figures and statistics revealed that no local youth who took up arms, crossed LOC and as such Pakistan cannot be blamed for what is happening in Kashmir”.

Er. Rasheed appealed to Indian politicians and think-tanks to see at least the humanitarian angle of the J&K dispute. “Unless they do so, whosoever gets killed, injured or whatsoever untoward happens in Kashmir, New Delhi has to be held responsible for every such major and minor incident,” he added.

Around 25 civilians also suffered bullet wounds during protests that followed the encounter killing. Image credit: Sameer Yasir/First Post

Four militants and two Army men were killed in an encounter in Kulgam district in South Kashmir early on Sunday. Two civilians were also killed — one in the encounter, and another in the protests that followed.

Brigadier R Chakravarty, Commander, 1 Sector RR, said a security cordon was put up around Nagbal Frisal village on Saturday night following information about the presence of militants in the area.

The four militants killed in the encounter have been identified as local youths — Vakil Ahmad Thoker of Hadigam, Mudasir Tantray of Redwani, Farooq Ahmad of Chak Dasand and Yonus Ahmad of Hawoora village.

Stating that they were from the Lashkar-e-Toiba and Hizbul Mujahideen, Chakravarty said, “the killing of these militants is a big success for the security forces.”

Meanwhile, villagers alleged that after the security forces put up a cordon around the house, the owner of the house and all his family members came out. But, they said, two brothers were sent back inside by the security personnel, and only one of them came out.

After the encounter ended, protests broke out in the area and security forces reportedly used bullets and teargas shells to disperse the protesters. More than 25 civilians are reported to have sustained injuries. One of the injured, Mushtaq Ahmad Yatoo, 22, of Hatimarg, succumbed to his injuries. Four of the critically injured protesters have been shifted to Srinagar for treatment. Hospital authorities said many of them had suffered bullet injuries.

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